Lawn-mower.



LE ROY A. FRANKE. LAWN MOWER. APPLICATION FILED MARIO, 1911.

1,047, 1 94, Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

2 SHEBTS-SHBET 1.

W742M$ ig i;

0C I I Attorn y LE ROY A. FRANKE.

LAWN MOWER.

APPLICATION FILED MARIO, 1911.

1,047, 1 94, Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES LE ROY A. FRANKIE," 0F FOSTORIA, OHIO.

' LAWN-MOWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.17-,1912.

Application filed March 10, 1911. Serial No. 613,643.

tall blades of grass, weeds and the like, and

pull them down into the path of the cutter or blades in order to prevent the mower from running over the same without cutting them.

With the present type of lawn mower it is practically impossible to cut grass when it is tall (comparatively speaking) or when it is interspersed with weeds such for instance as dandelions, for in such cases the mower either runs over them without cutting 'oif the heads or else they become entangled in the whirling blades of the mower thus necessitating the cessation of operations until they can be disengaged.

It is an object of my invention to overcome this difliculty by providing mowers with an auxiliary whirling attachment, which shall be disposed above and in front of the cutting blade or knives so as to bring the heads of weeds and tall grass directly into the path of the knives, so as to cause them to be sheared ofl".

With the foregoing and other objects in view my invention consists in such details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and specifically pointed out in the appended claims. I

In describing my invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote likeor corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the operative part of my improved mower showing one side in section so as to disclose the operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of my mower, the knives being omitted but their positions indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a detailed viewin elevation of one side of the frame work of my mower.

In reducing my invention to. practice 1 construct a frame work composed of two side plates 1, which are comparatively large attheir forward ends-but which taper considerably toward their rear ends 2 in which rear ends the supporting roller 3 is journaled. The side plates 1 are connected at their lower ends b the stationary knife bar 4. Drive wheel s 5 are p-ivotally connected to the side plates 1 by means of bolts 6 as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. To the outer ends of said bolts are connected an gular braces '7 to which is attached the usual handle 8 in any desired manner. Above the knife bar 4 and somewhat to the rear of a line connecting the centers of the drive wheels, is a shaft 9 carrying cutting blades 10 of' usual construction. Mounted upon the ends of the shaft 9 and extending into the drive wheels is a tooth pinion 11 which is in engagementwith the teeth 12, formed on the internal periphery of th flange of the drive wheel. It will be seen that the cutting blades 10 are caused to rotate through this connection when the drive wheels are revolved.

The foregoingconstruction is merely arbitrary and may be changed at will it being set forth. merely for the purpose of. illus trating one form of mower-to which my improved attachment may be connected; This attachment comprises a shaft 13, the opposite ends of which are journaled in the side plates 1 as set forth above in connection with the shaft 9. The shaft 13 however is disposed in front of a line connecting the centers of the drive wheel and above the same asis clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

Radiating from hubs mounted upon the driven the bars 15 rotate in the same direction as do the blades 10 and will rake in and push downwardthe tops of any weeds or long grass that'may come in their path so that said weeds or grass will be properly engaged by the whirling cutter blades which sald pinions in a -.manner which will be going. It will be seen that I have provided;

' rangement and combination of I be resorted to without departing from the 'c anges fall within the understood upon reference to Figs. 1, 4 and 5.

The operation and purpose of my invention will be fully understood from .the forea'm'ower adapted to out long as well as short grass and which will also cause weeds to be sheared off equally as easily as grass. It

will also be noted-that the attachment costs comparatively little and that my improved mower is not expensive to manufacture.

I desire it changes in the construction and-in the arparts may s irit of my invention, provided such scope of the appended claimswhat I claim .as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A lawn mower comprising" side plates, drive wheels mounted thereon, shafts journaled in said side plates, one shaft ca ing knives, paddle bars connected to the other shaft, pmions on the ends of said shafts 40., pair of shafts connecting withinsaid drive wheels and having co nnection therewith, and' semi circular guards on said side plate incasing said pinions,

2. A lawn mower comprising side plates, drive wheels mounted upon said plates, a said plates; one of said shafts being disposed in front of and above the axes of the drive wheels, the other to the rear of and below the axes-of the drive wheels, said shafts being diametrically opposite,

radially extending cutting blades mounted on the-lower shaft, radially extending arms mounted on the upper shaft, bars carried 'by said arms, gears mounted on one extremity of said shafts and extending beyond theouter face of one of said plates,

roller, a pair of to be understood that slight gear teeth mounted on the inner periphery of one of said drive wheels, the said gears adapted to mesh with said a handle extendin from said plates, substantially as descri ed.

3. A lawn mower comprising side plates, drive wheels mounted on said plates, one end of said plates being ends of said plates being connected by a shafts connecting said plates, one of said shafts being disposed in ront below the axis of the drive wheels, cutting blades mounted on one of said shafts, paddle bars mounted on the other of said shafts, a gear 'wheel mounted on the extremity of each shaft, an intermediate gear wheel with which said gears mesh mounted on and driven by one of the drive wheels, and a stationary cutting bar connecting said plates lying tangent to the lower extremity of the cutting blades.

4. A lawn mower comprising side plates,

, I I said side plates being enlarged'at one end, Having thus fully described my invention,

the smaller ends of said plates being connected by a roller, drive wheels mounted upon the enlarged portions of said plates, a pair of shafts connecting said plates, one of'said shafts being disposed in front of and above the axis of the drive wheels, the other in the rear of and below the axis of the drive wheels, paddle bars mounted on the first mentioned shaft, cutting blades mounted on the last mentioned shaft, said paddle bars arranged in advance of the said cutting blades, a stationary cutting bar connecting the lower edge of said plates and lying tangent with the said. cutting blades, guards mounted on one of said plates, a gear wheel mounted on one end of each shaft and adapted to rest within said guards, 'anda gear wheel driven by one of the drive wheels meshing with said gear whee LE ROY 'A. FRANKE.

."Witnesses:

L. J. ESHELMAN,

, NELSON Hrcxa enlarged, the smallergear teeth, and

of and above the axis' of the drive wheels, the other shaft to the rear of and 

